Mitchell, 50, joined Crane Co in 2004 as vice president of operational excellence. He was promoted to president of Fluid Handling in 2005, becoming executive vice president and chief operating officer of Crane Co in May 2011. In January 2013, he was appointed Crane Co president. Prior to Crane, Mitchell held management roles at Pentair, Danaher and Ford Motor Co.
Fast has retired after serving as CEO of Crane Co for 13 years.
“I would like to express my deepest thanks to Eric Fast, who for the past 14 years with Crane, including 13 years as CEO, has led this organization to substantially higher levels of consistent execution, performance, and record results. It has been a privilege to have worked by Eric’s side these past 10 years," said Mitchell. "Along with an outstanding team in place today, I am honoured to lead Crane with its strong heritage, rich culture and record of accomplishment spanning 159 years.”